Serengeti

Serengeti is a band that formed in Tanq in LY 909. The band is named after a region on Earth, though they've never explained exactly why they chose that name. Their musical genre is sometimes described as a mix of Arabesque, Caribbean, and New Wave, though many people prefer to say it doesn't really sound quite like anything commonly played on The Land. (There is some speculation among fans that their style could be similar to music played by Terrans from the Serengeti, though it's unknown if there's any truth to that.)

The band spent their first year playing gigs in various venues around the village, saving as much money as they could so that they could afford to start touring other villages, including Triscot, Shanty, Jump Village, Shipsister, and Sorret. Their unique style garnered them a sizable following, and they have continued touring in a circuit of those villages ever since. Their most prominent performance, however, came in late 912, when they played at the inauguration of Quinn Darkstrider, who was himself from Tanq. The band wrote a song especially for the occasion, called "It's Just So Great To Be King." Following that performance, they played a number of gigs in First Village, before returning home. Since then, they have received requests to perform in various other villages, and have also been offered bubble album recording contracts, but they have declined, preferring to stick to their roots.

Benjamin Flint: Lead singer and marimba-player, born 884, in Tanq. His surname comes from the fact that many members of his family are stonecutters who mine primarily flint.

Megara Grey: Drummer, born 888, in Sorret. She claims she chose her surname simply because grey is her favorite color. Nothing is known of her family. She moved to Tanq in 908, at age 20.

Rajesh Anansi: Jembe-player, born 879, in Jump Village. His parents are spirit-talkers and folklorists who collect stories from various other worlds. They chose the surname "Anansi" based on some stories from Earth. He played part-time in various bands in various villages, before joining Serengeti full-time in 909, at age 30.

Rose Greenthumb: Mandolin-player, born 887, in Triscot. Her parents are both botanists, and her mother is the curator of the Triscot Botanical Garden, which is why they chose the surname "Greenthumb." (Rose likes to joke that the only thing her thumbs are good for is plucking strings.) She moved to Tanq in 906, at age 19.

Shareena Cattlebaron: Shakuhachi-player, born 891, in Shipsister. She comes from a rich clan of cattleranchers, who have ranches in both Shipsister and Tonad. Shareena moved to Tanq in 904, at age 13, when her parents were sent by the clan's head- her grandfather- to take over a ranch he'd recently purchased there. Shareena prefers to make her own way in life, not accepting money from her family, even when they offered to fund her band's first tour. In spite of her financial independence, she maintains a close personal relationship with her family.

Zane Peterson: Siku-player, born 880, in Tanq. He is the cousin of Moira Peterson, who moved with her parents to Port in 884, leaving behind her father's younger brother (Zane's father) and his family. The clan took the surname "Peterson" in honor of Zane and Moira's grandfather, Peter.

Chorus: The band is often accompanied by a different chorus of backup singers in each of the villages they travel to.